Silcox Hut & Woolrich pajamas: Low tech comforts in a high tech world

To spend two days in the Silcox Hut is to feel the grip of the high-tech world slip away.

Embedded into the snowy face of Oregon’s Mt. Hood, the hut originally served as the upper station of the “magic mile” chairlift, built in 1939. But in the last few decades, the Silcox has been lovingly elevated to a prized status as one of America’s great ski lodges. Capable of hosting up to 24 people, the Silcox Hut features raw stone floors, looming timberframe walls and remarkably comfortable feather pillow bunkbeds. Oh, and there’s a hot shower too.

In early April, a group of ski media spent a few days at Silcox to test a space-age boot made for both climbing up mountains and skiing down them. For two days, the group wore the prototype boots along with ultralight high-performance clothing — exploring the upper reaches of the volcano and the dramatic weather conditions that can only be found above treeline.

But when they returned to fire-warmed hut … they turned the page from high-tech performance to the luxurious low-tech comfort of Woolrich pajamas and slippers. Made of 100% cotton crepe flannel, the red-and-black pajama bottoms were thin enough to enjoy a warm drink by the fire, but thick enough to wear outside the hut for a look at the sun setting over the distant Oregon coast.

And the slippers? The Pinewood Scuff slippers gave this crew a soft fleece lining that made the rough stone floors of the hut seem as cozy as the great room fireplace that crackled and roared through the night.